Life Will Get Better
by Kennedy11035
Summary: Not listening to the people she viewed as family and getting married shortly after high school, was not Mal's smartest choice. Now in the process of getting a divorce, her ex-husband will do anything to get full custody of their child. While fixing old, broken relationships, Mal starts to open up about what her marriage was really like. Of how she fell for a not so charming prince.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a new story. I hope you all like this, please review, I would like to know what you all think. Everything is Disney's except Chuck and Everett, they are mine.**

As Mal looked back she could see that the past ten years have been a terrible lie. Her so called husband of eight years and the father of her child had never truly changed his ways. She was sitting on the couch, looking at a family photo book. In the photo was her, her husband, and their son, Everett, all smiling and happy seeming, only a year ago.

There was a knock at the door, and Mal set down the album, not believing that she couldn't see it all before. Mal took a deep breath to calm herself before answering the door. "What do you want Chuck?" Mal asked, sounding already tired with the man at her front step.

"I want my son, right now Maleficent," Chuck answered harshly.

Mal kept her hold on the doorframe. "Stop calling me that. He's asleep right now, so you can't see him at the moment. It's my week to with him anyway." Mal replied.

Chuck pushed past Mal and into the small living room. "You know what I meant,"

"I do know what you meant and I said no. You don't deserve to see him." Mal's tone was full of authority but also showed a hint of hurt. Chuck threw a packet of papers on the coffee table.

Mal couldn't help but think of that those papers belonged at the end of that book, because this is how it was all going to end. "He's my son, my heir, he deserves to be with his father."

"It's all about your precious heir, you never cared about Everett as your child, you haven't for the past five years."

Chuck took a step forward, glaring at her. "Maleficent, don't you dare tell me I don't care about him!" Chuck yelled. "He would be better off with me completely. Look at how your living in this tiny, disgusting house."

"Appearance isn't everything. It's good enough for us. We don't need servants attending to our every need. Let alone treat them like they are nothing instead of friends. You, Chuck, will never understand that. Everything has to benefit you. I can't believe I ever loved you!" Mal screamed.

"I can say the same about you!" Chuck shouted. He took another step towards Mal. Mal took a step back, not in fear, but in caution.

"Charles Randall Charming, if you take one step closer to me, it's over. You will never see Everett again." Mal told her ex husband. "So I suggest that you leave right now."

That's when Chuck left the house without another word. That's where time was now. Mal's shock turned to sadness, she slumped onto her couch and let the tears run down her face. She cried for a few minutes before she heard quiet foot steps coming down the stairs.

"Mom?" A small voice asked.

"Everett, honey, what are you doing awake?" Mal inquired, quickly whipping her eyes.

"I heard you and Dad shouting and I fell out of bed, are you okay?" Everett questioned.

"Oh baby, come here, don't cry, I'm okay," Mal reached out for her son and lifting him onto her lap. "It's okay, I'm not mad, no reason to cry, Dad and I are just a little angry at each other right now. But you have to remember that this is not your fault and that no matter what, I will always love you. You understand?"

Mal could feel Everett nod. They stayed like this for awhile, till Everett fell asleep. Then Mal carried him upstairs to put him to bed. She hoped though that Everett would always remember what she had told him, because she had the feeling that her divorce was about to get ugly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter 2, I hope you all enjoy. Thank you Pinksakura271 for the idea I used and thank you for letting me use your OC Amy. Amy is Pinksakura271s, Everett is my OC and everything else is Disney's. I do not own it.**

Chapter 2

A very distracted bookstore owner was multitasking, or at least trying to, feeling quite depressed. When she came to Auradon ten years ago, this is not what she thought her life would be like. Well, not completely… extremely overjoyed that she owned the place of her dreams, Bookaholic's Fantasy was her home, but she never would have thought that she would lose touch with her twin sister.

The woman was so busy with her job, that she didn't even realize that her best friend had entered the store. "Hey," A voice called. "You, Miss Bookkeeper, didn't you hear the bell ringing or me knocking? Based on how you're acting I can tell that you've been thinking of Mal again."

Amy turned from her books before sighing sadly. "Yeah, sorry Lonnie, I just really miss her. We and the rest of the gang haven't seen her in ages." Amy stepped down the later, then automatically hugged her friend.

"It's okay, Amy, I miss her too, we tried to to tell her but, you know how stubborn Mal can be." Lonnie told her.

Releasing each other from the embrace, they smiled at each other. "Thank you Spunky, so is something wrong?"

Lonnie picked up Amy's cellphone that was laying on the desk, looking at it, she could see all the unread text messages. "I was texting you to see if you wanted to join Jay and I for lunch, but seeing you now, it's no longer a request, you're coming with us, no arguments." Lonnie explained. "You need a serious break and Jay was able to convince Ben to take a few hours off."

Amy smiled at the thought of who she believed to be her true brother in law. She rarely saw him, she swore that he was burying himself in his work to avoid his heartache, he had been for the past ten years, much like she was herself, he also needed a good break.

"Fine, you got me Lonnie, I'll go," Amy agreed. "Although, just so you know, I'd rather finish shelving these books."

"I know you would, but you'll enjoy yourself, I promise." Lonnie said. The two former roommates link arms before locking up the store and walking to lunch.

Amy and Lonnie had met Jay and Ben at a diner not far from Amy's bookshop. The two men had waved them over to a seat by the window. When Amy saw Ben, she couldn't be lied to, he did not look well. He had darkening bags under his eyes and looked extremely weak. Amy knew Ben had never fully gotten over his breakup with Mal when they were sixteen, although they had only dated for six months, Ben viewed Mal as his true love, and she broke his heart. Amy always believed that Mal was wrong for choosing Chuck.

Jay and Lonnie shared a kiss. Ben cleared his throat. "Sorry Ben," Lonnie apologized.

"Next time you do that bro, I'll swipe your crown." Jay threatened.

"Yeah right Jay, Spunky and I here would gang up on you, so I wouldn't even think about it." Amy joked. The four laughed, for Ben and Amy, it's been a long time since they laughed like that. They ordered their food and was making small talk with one another, then receiving the food. "Working hard, Amy?" Jay asked. "Did Lonnie have to drag you away?"

"You know your wife, you really can't say no to her when she wants something, I could have persuaded her, I just didn't have the energy." Amy answered. "Books are pouring in everyday, Bookaholic's Fantasy is growing more than I ever could've imagined."

"I can't wait till I see a book written by you on your shelves." Lonnie added. She's always been supportive of Amy's dream of writing her own book.

"It'll come one day, and you'll be the first one to own a copy." Amy promised. "You might have to fight Mal about it, but you don't have to worry." Ben wasn't paying attention to the conversation before Mal's name was mentioned. Jay changed the subject.

"How's the king work, Ben?" Jay questioned, trying to get their quiet friend to start talking. Ben never looked up from his small salad.

"Huh, oh, it's going fine, the usual really." Ben replied. Ben never looked up from his small salad.

"Hey, Amy, what made you think of Mal today?" Lonnie asked the woman sitting next to her.

Ben looked up at Amy with eyes that filled with hope that Mal had contacted her twin sister in any way. The look was like a slap in the face for Amy. If anyone had the most ties cut from Mal, it was Ben. After the two had broken up, Ben tried so hard to get back together with Mal, but once she fell in love with the eldest Charming boy, he stepped back to the sideline. She was happy, at least that's what it appeared to be. The rest of the gang had tried to convince Ben to not throw in the towel.

Amy sadly looked at Ben. "I don't know honestly, I just have the feeling that something isn't going right for her at the moment." Amy told her best friend. The four of them ate in a comfortable silence. "I've got to get back to the store, but thank you for lunch." Amy thanked. "I'll text you later, I swear."

Lonnie grabbed Amy's wrist. "Do you need me to go with you, Bookkeeper?"

Amy shook her head. "Relax Lonnie, I'll be fine." Jay and Amy fist bumped, then she hugged both Lonnie and Jay before staying behind to talk to Ben. "Stay strong Benny-Beast, Mal will come to you soon." After that she hugged him. Amy walked back to her bookshop. Unlocking Bookaholic's Fantasy, Amy slowly got back to work shelving the books.

An hour had passed and Amy was still hard at work. She was finishing up shelving books when she heard the little bell chime. "Sorry, just a moment, I'll help you in a second."

"I would hope that my Cherry Blossoms wouldn't leave me stranded." Amy knew by that voice and by that nickname who exactly walked into her store, and it made her smile. Climbing down the ladder, Amy turned to see a person identical to herself but with purple hair instead of pink. Amy tackled her sister in a hug, being mindful of the little boy that was watching them with wonder filled green eyes.

The twins smile, releasing each other from the hug. "Oh my pink! Leader Girl, it's been so long. The gang and I have all missed you a lot."

Amy looked down at the little blonde boy that was hugging his mothers leg. Amy kneeled down to his hight. "You must be Everett, I haven't seen you since you were this small." Amy showed the young boy how small he once was, which made him laugh.

Everett moved from from Mal's leg, feeling more comfortable with the stranger. "Everett, this is your Aunt Amy." Mal introduced. Amy opened up her arms to Everett, and after the nod from his mom that it was okay, he walked into her embrace. "Why don't you look around while I talk to your aunt. Be careful, stay away from the ladder and Aunt Amy's papers."

Amy ruffled his blonde hair before she took his hand and led him the children's book section. As Amy walked back to the front of the store she sat on the large four person couch with Mal. "He's so big now, let me guess, five?" Amy questioned.

"You're still sharp, yes Everett is five. Sometimes I wonder where the time has gone." Mal smiled. "And before you ask, I'm here to find a new bedtime story other than Goodnight Sleepy Rabbit that he would want to listen to." Mal explained, sounding a bit tired.

Amy raised an eyebrow and gestured for Mal to follow her to get Everett. "Okay Mal, I've got this. Hey, Everett, why don't you want your mom to read something other than Goodnight Sleepy Rabbit?"

Everett looked at his mother and aunt. He pointed at Amy's pink hair behind her shoulder. "Favorite color, Auntie?"

Amy gripped a lock of her hair. "Yes, pink is my all time favorite color—" Amy's cut herself off and grabbed Mal's wrist. She then faced her nephew once more. "Why is Goodnight Sleepy Rabbit your favorite story?"

The answer that the twins received threw them far off. "Because it's the last story Mom and Dad read to me before they started fighting." Everett said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter 3, I hope you all enjoy it. The OC Amy is Pinksakura271s, the OCs Chuck and Everett are mine, everything else is Disney's. After you read this pleases go read my one shot Right vs. Wrong on my Descendants One shot collection, and go read Disney Planet by Pianotbonemaster, it's a really good story. Other than all that, here is chapter 3.**

Chapter 3

"Before they started fighting," Amy repeated, she turned to her twin sister. "Got anything you want to confess Mal?" Mal knew that Amy would not let this go. As Everett tilted his head at his newly discovered aunt staring his mother down, he being very confused. But before Mal could answer the little bell by the door chimed.

"Saved by the bell," Mal thought. Amy rolled her eyes at the sound, knowing that Mal was happy that she got away from the interrogation for a little bit. Amy put on a professional smile before walking away from the children's section.

"Pinksqueak!" The person shouted. "Where's Maleficent and my son now?"

Mal pushed Everett further into the children's section as she heard Chuck's voice. "Baby stay here, we've got to be quiet." Mal whispered urgently.

Amy lost any and all professionalism knowing the one sole person who would call her 'Pinksqueak'. She replaced the smile with a dark scowl on her usual sweet face, hands always at her side. "For the hundred millionth time Charles, it's Amelia. And you can not demand anything of me, especially on my own property! So let's try this again okay. Thanks to you I haven't seen my sister in forever and my nephew doesn't even know I exist! So, to answer your question, they are not here!" Amy ranted, anger rising the longer Chuck was smirking at her.

Chuck smiled. "That's good, he doesn't need to know he has a nerdy peasant Pinksqueak of an aunt."

Amy's eyes glowed red. She bit her tongue to keep herself from casting a spell. "Look Harming, you have two options, one, you get off my property or two, I will call Jay or Ben to come and have guards drag you out." Amy warned. "It's in your best interest to make the best choice."

Mal had had enough of this. She left Everett in the children's section, defending her twin against the man she once had loved. "You heard her Chuck, get off of her property, now." Mal told him, hands on hips as Amy calmed down, feeling her twins presence.

"You finally come out of the shadows Maleficent. Where's Everett?" Chuck asked. "I know you won't leave him by himself. You can't possibly believe you can keep him from his father do you?" This was not a question , they knew this, he was mocking them.

Chuck started to storm through the shelves, Mal following him in protest. Amy secretly went moved back to the children's section and saw that Everett was hiding behind the armchair. She smiled then making the motion of zip lips. She then rushed to the from the shop.

"Hey Harming! Get your hands off! Amy's eyes start to glow red once again. She couldn't help it. "Nothing's made clear, make my cell phone appear." She chanted. With palm up, pink sparkles, Amy's cell phone appeared in her hand. Chuck stopped what he was doing when he heard the spell, Mal did as well.

"Charles, I know you want to see him again but doing this, it won't help you, at all. So before Amy calls anyone, just walk out." Mal said.

Chuck glared at the twins, hand on the metal handle. "Maleficent, Pinksqueak, you will loose this fight." With that he left the store.

Mal sighed. "Thanks Amy, I'm sorry for this all. If there is anyth—"

"Relax Leader Girl, I don't, and never will blame you but if that wannabe king comes in here again, I won't be so sweet." Amy warned.

The two hugged. "I know Cherry Blossoms, but before you decide to make someone bleed, let me handle things. Then I will give the go ahead, alright?" Amy agreed to this. The two walked over to the children's section to calm Everett down from the commotion.

"But this doesn't change the fact, you owe me a full explanation." Amy said.

While Mal and Amy were dealing Chuck at Bookaholic's Fantasy Evie was in her sewing room at her castle. Her business, Evie's 4 hearts had taken off more than she could have dreamed. It occupies her time before her husband, Doug, comes home from Auradon Prep, where he works as the chemistry teacher, having replaced Mr. Deley a few years ago.

She heard whistling outside her mini balcony. With his usual 'Heigh Ho'. Evie remained working till Doug knocked on the doorframe of her office. "Princess, I'm home." Doug sang in greeting.

Evie's smile grew at that. She got up from the table and gave her husband a hug. "I know Doug, I heard you outside. How was your day?" She asked.

Doug slumped in a chair in the corner. "Tiring, I now understand why Mr. Deley was so stern way back when, but he was also fair. Those kids, those so called royals, they're brats."

Evie laughed. "Not all of them are that bad, are they? I mean Ben's royal and he wasn't."

Doug sighed at the mention of his best friend. "No they're not all bad, but the ones that are bad can really get on your nerves, acting as if they are the most important people ever." Doug replied. Evie understood Doug's frustration, knowing that if it wasn't for him and Ben's proclamation, she would had lived the rest of her life like that.

"I'm sorry, but I've got— Evie started.

"A lot more work to finish, I get it, same here, these papers wont grade themselves. I'll see you later." Doug kissed his wife on the cheek before leaving the room, but on his way out he knocked over one of the mannequins. "I'm going to take a nap first." Doug picked up the mannequin. An hour later, and Evie was still working hard, till she received a phone call.

"Hello?" Evie questioned.

"Hey, Evie, it's Lonnie, sorry but I need you to meet me at Amy's place, now things will be explained there." Lonnie answered.

Evie didn't even say goodbye before ending the call. She told Doug where she was going, glad he was fully awake, and that she'd be back as soon as she could. Once she got there the worry had taken over her. "Lonnie called, fashion emergency or what?" Evie inquired after racing into the bookstore. Lonnie and Amy sat on the couch looking at Evie as if she was crazy.

"Everything is fine," Amy responded to Evie. "Spunky, you nearly gave her a heart attack."

Lonnie shrugged. "Didn't mean to, sorry bookkeeper."

Amy set down her glass of apple juice. "I've got good news for you." She added.

"Okay, that's better than dangerous news. What happened. Why are you both smiling like that? What's happened?" Evie asked. She took a seat on the couch, finally starting to calm down.

"Mal actually showed up here with Everett. He's so cute and is growing greatly." Amy explained. Evie was so excited now, she hadn't seen her best friend in awhile. "That is till that Charles came demanding Mal and I to answer to him."

Lonnie wrapped her arms around Amy's shoulders, which were shaking in anger. "Amy threatened to call Jay, and you know my husband, always itching for a good fight. I'm glad that Charles had just left, but not before threatening our favorite twins." Lonnie finished, already knowing the story.

"That's not all, is it?" Evie questioned.

This made Amy's smile come back even more. She shook her head. "Mal's divorcing him. She'll finally be free once again."

Evie cheered. "Wicked news indeed!" They were already coming up with a plan.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is chapter 4, I hope you all like it. The character Amy is Pinksakura271s, the mentioned OCs Chuck (or Charles) and Everett are mine. Everything else is Disney's.**

Chapter 4

It had been four days since Mal and Everett showed up at Bookaholic's Fantasy. In secret, Amy, Evie and Lonnie have been debating the topic of Chuck Charming.

"For the ten thousandth time, Amy, we are not going to use either of your ideas." Evie said, sounding exhausted. Amy and Evie had kept this argument up like a wicked ping pong game. Amy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in annoyance. She was munching on a pink frosted sugar cookie from the box of variety of cookies Lonnie brought over.

"Honestly I don't see anything wrong with them." Amy replied nonchalantly. "Spunky, am I going too far because I don't think I am." Amy turned to the woman who has been her best friend for the past ten years.

Lonnie sipped from her apple juice and took a deep breath before continuing. "Bookkeeper, it's not that your ideas are bad in an evil kind of way, they're just too risky."

Amy dramatically fake gasped. "Risky, how Lonnie? Okay I do admit, trapping Charles in a alternate universe where his family never became royalty is a stretch, but my other plot where Charles is transformed into a dog, and the spell is only broken when he learns to change his ways is not risky."

Evie bit her lip. "Amy, what if he gets out of your sight and gets hit by a carriage?"

Amy shrugged her shoulders, not caring much about what would happen to Chuck, she never did like him. "He won't get hit that hard, not enough to die. Even if he did, it's not anyone's fault but his own."

"Fine, let's say we went through with your plan of turning Charles into a dog, but what happens after he changes his ways? What if Mal falls back in love with him?" Evie asked. "Then operation ROLL would never work." Lonnie snapped her fingers to get her friends attention.

Amy laughed before answering. "Evie came up with it. Rekindling Of Lost Love. That wouldn't happen, Mal's smarter than that." Amy said.

"Well, she did fall in love with him in the first place." Evie pointed out.

Before anything else happened, Lonnie jumped in. "Ladies, let's leave Charles alone for a moment. What we need is to have Mal and Ben spend time with each other." Lonnie sighed before continuing. "Ben still loves Mal, anyone with eyes can see that, but we need to find out is if Mal still loves him. Keep in mind their relationship did not end on good terms."

"But how do we do that? Mal busies herself with her art classes she teaches at Auradon Prep, then there's Everett to think about, not to mention Ben's a workaholic king since their breakup." Evie stated.

Lonnie raised her hand for silence. "That's true, it took Jay and I weeks to get Ben to come to that lunch we had, he won't stop working anymore." Lonnie told them.

"Then we're going to need some help." Amy said in thought. "And I know exactly who to go to." She smiled brightly.

"What about Everett?" Evie inquired.

"He's with Charles this week." Amy rolled her eyes. "So, for right now we don't have to worry about him."

The next day the three met up once again, but this time at Beast's Castle. The four walked up to the grand doors and knocked.

It was answered by Lumiere. "Girls, it is a pleasure to see you three, but I'm afraid that King Ben is too busy at the moment and is not taking visitors." Lumiere said.

"That's alright, we're not here to see Ben anyway, we would like to see Belle." Amy responded.

Lumiere let them in. "I will tell Queen Belle that you are here right away."

"Thank you, Lumiere," Evie thanked.

A few minutes later Belle had appeared entering the entry way where Amy, Evie and Lonnie were waiting. "Girls, to what do I owe this surprise visit?" Belle inquired.

"We need to talk about Ben." Lonnie answered. "Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

"Yes, of course, follow me," Belle led them to her library. The library had looked more magnificent than Amy had remembered. It had been a few years since she had been in Belles library. Amy could still recount the times she would sit in there, curled up with a book, reading for hours.

Belle sat in a chair, while Amy and her friends sat on the couch. "So you said you would like to talk about my struggling son?" Belle asked.

"Yes, we have recently found out that Mal and Charles are getting divorced, it is the right time for Mal and Ben to reconnect." Amy informed. "We don't want to push anything onto them, we just want them to start talking to each other again."

"We need your help getting Ben to meet with Mal, any place, any time is good, we want to know if you can get him to take a break." Lonnie added.

"I'll try my best," Belle promised. "It's hard enough to get Ben to come eat dinner with Adam and I. Even a Jay sometimes comes to me concerned."

"Please do try," Evie said.

"Why don't you all come over to dinner tomorrow?" Belle suggested. "Invite Mal and the others, I'll get Ben to join us, somehow."

"Wonderful, thank you Belle." Amy accepted. "I'll get Mal to come."

The group said their goodbyes and Amy, Evie, and Lonnie went back to Bookaholic's Fantasy. The moment the doors are unlocked, she called Mal.

"Hello," Mal greeted.

"Hey, Leader Girl, the girls and I were just visiting Beast's Castle and Belle invited us to dinner tomorrow." Amy told her. "You are coming, right?"

"I don't know Amy." Mal said. "I'm really busy."

"Come on Mal. You haven't set foot in Beast's Castle in years." Amy replied. "Plus, just tell Headmistress Jane that you're taking a personal day."

"That's true, and I'm all up to date for my grading. Everett is with Chuck till Sunday. Sure, I guess I'd join you." Mal agreed.

"Oh my pink!" Amy exclaimed excitedly. "I'll see you tomorrow." The twins hang up the phone, both thinking of tomorrow night. The younger optimistic and enthusiastic, the older nervous.


	5. Chapter 5

**I know its been awhile since I have updated anything, but I found some inspiration to write a chapter for this story, I'm hoping I can find some inspiration for my other stories. I do not own anything except the OCs Chuck and Everett. Pinksakura271 owns Amy and Disney owns the rest. I hope you all like this. Enjoy.**

Chapter 5

Mal walked to her boss's office, the word 'Headmistress' staring at her as she calmly knocked on the door. A sweet "Come in." was heard inside. Opening the door their eyes met. The headmistress puts down her pen and motions for Mal to take a seat. "Good morning Mal. This visit is a surprise, usually you'd have your agenda for class already up. Is there anything you need from me?"

"Yes I know, and good morning to you too, Jane. Sorry, but I need, really I'm being forced to take a personal day on Monday." Mal said, shaking her head. "It's okay if I can't though, I know how difficult it can be to get a sub."

Jane laughed. "Forced, you say. Let me guess, Evie? Amy? Both?" They weren't true guesses, Jane knew the answer. But before Mal could say anything more, Jane continued. "On that subject though Mal, I was going to order you to take some time off, you've been working yourself too hard. Come back on Tuesday all relaxed and recharged. I've already lined up a sub till you get back."

Mal was a bit shocked but nodded in agreement and thanking Jane before exiting the office. "Oh, Mal!" Jane called. Mal walked back into the office, closing the door behind her this time.

"Mal, if things with Chuck gets worse, just tell me." Jane's eyes shift to the portrait of Auradon Prep that Mal had painted a few years ago. Behind it was the magical safe that held the wand.

The two shared a smirk. "Thanks Jane, but not necessary. Everett doesn't need things getting worse, it's bad enough that Amy so badly wants to use her own magic. I've got this. I'll see you in a few days. Please don't hesitate to call if you need me here, oh and Carlos better pop the question before then."

Jane blushed. "It's still an option, and as for Carlos, Mal just drop it." Mal laughed, as if any of them would do that. "Besides we'll see you tonight actually, we were all invited to the castle for dinner."

"Fine then, I'll see you tonight okay, as for Carlos he better pop the question before I come back to work." Mal joked.

Jane smiled and waved her friend goodbye. Mal didn't know what to do with her day since she had no work, it had been so long since she had last had a day off. Mal got back into her car and drove to Bookaholic's Fantasy.

Amy smiled when she heard the little bell ring, she knew it was Mal without looking. "Hey Leader Girl, love seeing you and all but, shouldn't you be at work right now?"

"Actually, I should be, yet no." Mal answered. "It was so strange, I went into Jane's office to ask for Monday off and she said I had today till Tuesday off, everything already figured out. Now, I wouldn't have a sister or any friends that would have helped set that up."

"Nope, I have no idea what you're talking about," Amy said.

"I didn't think you would, Cherry Blossoms, I just want to thank the person who did set this up because I really need a day off." Mal replied, smirking at her younger twin sister.

"Understandable, and I'm sure that the person who did set this up is thrilled you agreed without a fight." Amy responded. The two laughed as Mal sat in a chair near by. "What are you going to do with your day off?"

"I don't know yet, maybe I'll go to the park and sketch." Mal thought out loud.

"Or, while you're still here, we could have some long awaited sister time." Amy suggested. Mal got up and started to help Amy of the ladder. The two hugged before Mal climbed the ladder and they shelved the books together while talking about different things. Around two hours later Mal's phone buzzed. "Everything okay?" Amy asked when she saw that Mal had concern on her face.

"It's Chuck," Mal told her, resulting in Amy rolling her eyes with an annoyed sigh. "He says that he is stuck in meetings all day and that Everett got sick at school and has to come home, he wants to know if I can pick him up. I can get a day off of my second job, but my main job as a mother, happily never."

"Well, besides the update of Chuck which I don't give a rotten apple about, give little Everett my love, maybe I can find some books around here he might like." Amy said, feeling her anger disappear to worry.

"Breath Cherry Blossoms. I'll tell him, thanks, I'll see you later." Mal replied getting up and leaving.

"I'll see you tonight at six sharp," Amy reminded as Mal left the book shop. It didn't take Mal long to get to Everett's school. She felt her heart sink when she saw how bad her son looked. The nurse helped Everett collect his things and gave them to Mal.

"He can't come back to school for at least twenty four hours, but in this case that means Monday. His teacher sent this folder here with all his assignments and things he will miss in class today." The nurse explained. Mal nodded. "I hope you feel better soon Everett." Mal thanked the nurse before leading Everett out and to her car. Mal got home as quick as she could, she wanted Everett resting as soon as possible.

"Hey, Everett, let's take your temperature and get you some medicine." The thermometer read 101.3, and Mal gave him some medicine and set him up on the couch with cartoons before going and doing some work around the house. After an hour of washing dishes Mal checked on Everett and saw he had fallen asleep. She went back and finished up the dishes and did a load of laundry before sitting next to the sleeping child. It was awhile later that Everett woke up again and Mal felt his forehead again, he was still warm but not as much as before.

"Why didn't Dad pick me up? Aren't I supposed to be with him?" The five year old wondered.

"Dad's stuck in meetings all day and asked me to pick you up." Mal answered.

"I'm sorry I made you come home." Everett apologized.

"It's okay sweetie, I had nothing going on anyway." Mal said with a little laugh.

"Didn't you have work?" Everett questioned.

"No, your Aunt Amy and some of my friends made me take the day off without me knowing, and they're making me take off on Monday. Oh, Aunt Amy sends you her best wishes." Mal told him.

"Thanks Mom, Aunt Amy is fun, can we watch a movie?" Everett inquired.

"Anything you want." Mal replied. She put in a movie and after Everett fell asleep again. A little while later Chuck came to pick Everett up, just as he had promised.

"How is he?" Chuck asked, coming into the house.

"He's asleep and doing better, but his stomach can't take much. So I suggest some applesauce and water for dinner." Mal said.

Chuck nodded. "Thank you for looking after him Mal, I owe you one."

"No, thank you," Mal thanked. "I got to have an extra day with him."

Chuck gently woke Everett up, collected his things and said their goodbyes. Once Mal was alone again she looked at the clock and it said 5:25. She quickly texted Amy telling her she'd be a little late. It didn't take Mal long to get ready and soon she was on her way to Beasts Castle.

She parked a bit down the street from the castle and sat in the car for a moment. Why was she doing this? Was she ready to see all her old friends after so long? Was she ready to see Ben again? She took a deep breath. She then stepped out of her car and walked towards the large door. She could do this, she had nothing to be afraid of.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is the new chapter of Life Will Get Better. I hope you all enjoy this. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, mainly the ending, you'll all see why. As usual I own nothing except the mentioned characters, Chuck and Everett. The OC Amy is Pinksakura271s. Everything else is Disneys.**

Chapter 6

Mal took one last deep breath before knocking on the large double doors. Instead of the usual cheerful Lumiere answering the door, the doors opened to reveal a rather impaciant and angry looking pinkette.

Mal smiled at the sight of her sister but couldn't even say a word before Amy crossed her arms and sighed. "Finally Leader Girl." Amy waved her hand to have Mal follow her. "Everyone is in the living room chatting, I'm sorry I seem angry, Sis, it's not at you. There are some brainless guards at Benny-Beast's office who won't let me in. Me? I am the last person they should be suspicious of." Amy ranted. She let out a small huff in frustration.

Mal chuckled at this. "I'm glad you kept your magical cool. Just take Jay with you. They can never say no to one of his orders."

The girls arrive to the living room and Mal makes her presence known. "Carlos, when's the wedding?" She asked.

Carlos quickly rose from his chair. "Will you two stop asking me that?" He looked at from one twin to the other with the identical smirks on their faces.

"Sorry Red Tech, it's too much fun." Amy laughed.

Jane grabbed Carlos's hand. "Don't waste your breath, sweetie, they'll never stop." Jay laughed as well.

"Don't you have to make rounds of the castle or something?" Carlos garbled.

Amy cut them off though. "I'll say Soldier, some of your guys won't let me in to see Benny-Beast. Do they not know who I am?"

Jay smiled and rose from the couch. "Sorry Cherry Blossom, yes, they know who you and the rest of the gang are. The wife is with him right now, trying to get him to come out. That's why they probably don't want anyone else in there." He went over to the pink haired woman and hugged her, lifting her off of her feet, making her giggle.

Mal looked around the room and spots Evie strutting over to her with a smirk on her face. "Glad you got here, M. Before you ask, Doug whould have been here, he really wanted to come, but he is burried in grading papers. It's astonishing how those kids can keep him on his toes."

"No problem, I completely understand that, maybe you should talk to Jane about Doug getting some time off." Mal suggested. Evie blushed.

Everyone talked a bit more before Lumiere announced dinner. Everyone took their seats at the table. Lonnie walked in with Ben. The kings eyes were dark, he looked awful. "You, my friend, need to eat and stop working for a good two hours." Lonnie said. Ben sighed and sat down, but he brightened up a bit when he saw Mal. Mal was talking with Belle and Beast about Everett, but her eyes darted over to Ben. For a moment they made eye contact, it didn't last long.

The group talked about any topic that came to mind. Old memories, their jobs, their lives. It was a surprisingly good dinner, Mal and Ben didn't talk to each other directly, but their glances towards one another spoke more any anyone in the room.

Afterwards, everyone was on getting ready to leave Beast's Castle, except for Jane and Carlos, they had left early. Mal summond up the courage to walk up to Ben.

"Hi," Mal greeted.

"Hi," Ben said. This conversation screamed awkward.

"It's been a long time since I've got to really see you and talk to you, aside from a quick greeting at a royal event." Mal told him.

"Yeah, I've missed seeing you." Ben replied. Ben felt every emotion he has felt about Mal over the past ten years build up and want to escape.

"I-I've missed you too, I had a nice time this evening, I hope to see you soon." Mal sort of rambled. She felt kind of stupid for hesitating she was known for no hesitation.

"Yeah, see you soon." Ben agreed. The two shared a small hug before parting ways. Off across the room, Amy, Evie, and Lonnie stood together, watching Ben and Mal. They all shared a big smile. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

The girls went to Mal's house after the dinner, Mal got some drinks out as the others sat in the living room, silently looking around the room.

"Here we go." Mal said, handing all the women a juice box. "Sorry, I really don't have anything better."

"It's okay, Leader Girl, better than those disgusting alcoholic drinks." Amy replied, taking a sip of the juice.

"Amy's right M, but next time you go grocery shopping I'm coming with you." Evie said. All of them laughed knowing Evie wasn't joking.

"You have to keep in mind E, that I have a small child with me half the time." Mal reminded.

The four had talked awhile about this and that from the eight years they didn't see Mal much. "What was your life like during your marriage Mal?" Evie asked. Mal sighed, she knew this would eventually come up, but she didn't expect it this early. Mal got up and went over to the high shelf to grab a thick photo album.

"I actually kept good record on everything in photos." Mal said. Mal sat back down and the others crowded around her.

There were many photos that filled the book. Ones of Chuck and Mal's wedding. Ones of Everett when he was a baby and as he was growing up. The girls stared at the photos, commenting on most of them. Evie complained about the outfits Mal had on.

"Awww, they loved Everett too." Lonnie pointed to the photo of one of the butlers giving Everett a horse back ride. As they flipped through the pages Amys sweet smile became a forced one. She slightly glared at all the photos that contained Chuck, tempted to use her fire magic to burn them.

After awhile of looking at pictures of a toddler Everett, Mal suddenly shut the book, although there was quite a bit more pages.

"Why'd you stop there?" Lonnie asked.

Mal took a deep breath. "I don't like looking at those photos much."

"What's wrong with them? They can't be that bad." Lonnie said.

"No, they're not bad, it's just after what had happened, that's when Chuck and I, well that's when our marriage started to crumble." Mal explained. "I really miss him." Mal wiped away some tears from her eyes.

"What? Charles?" Amy questioned, now more angry at seeing her twin tear up.

"No," Mal replied with a small laugh. She opened the book to where they had left off. In big letters read the name Aaron Henry. Pictures covered the pages of a baby boy who was presumably Aaron.

"I didn't see you all after Everett was born, so none of you ever met Aaron. He was the sweetest little boy, I named him after you, Amy. We used to call him Shadow, because he would always follow us around, especially Everett." Mal told them. Mal flipped through the pages.

"He got sick and died two years ago, he was two years old. It was hard on all of us, we shied away from people for awhile after his death, Chuck and I started fighting more, and it's ended us up where we are right now." Mal let a few more tears fall from her eyes.

Amy hugged her sister tightly. "Oh Leader Girl, that's aweful. I'm honored that you named Aaron after me though." Evie gently took the photo album from Mals hads, placing it on the coffee table, she held her best friends hands as comfort. Lonnie sat on the floor putting her hands on the grieving mothers knees, tears threating to leave her own eyes.

"Don't shut us out again, Mal. Chuck is a bigger royal pain than I thought, especially after that." Evie told her. Amy nodded her head in agreement, resting it on Mal's right shoulder.

Lonnie's brown eys look up into Mal's emerald green ones, a determind look covering her face. "Mal, because of fate you lost Aaron. I swear to you, that we will not let you lose Everett. This custody battle, you will win!" As the four sit together they discuss hopfully happier days to come.


End file.
